Oversight of Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) Accrediting Bodies

Nonprofit groups or state governmental entities can apply for approval to accredit opioid treatment programs (OTPs).

In 2001, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and SAMHSA issued final regulations to establish a new oversight system for the treatment of substance use disorders with medication-assisted treatment (MAT). New federal regulations transferred administrative responsibility over the use of opioid medications in maintenance and detoxification treatment of substance use disorders from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to SAMHSA (see Certification of Opioid Treatment Programs, 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 8). They also established procedures for an entity to become an approved accrediting body. These entities must be nonprofit accreditation organizations or state governmental entities. SAMHSA-approved accrediting bodies evaluate OTPs and perform site visits to ensure SAMHSA’s opioid dependency treatment standards are met.

Online Form SMA-163 also indicates a list of additional required documents. These documents should be prepared as file attachments to the online form.

SAMHSA will not begin processing a submitted Form SMA-163 until all required documentation is received.

Accreditation Guidelines

The Guidelines for the Accreditation of Opioid Treatment Programs were first released in 1999 to provide direction to accrediting organizations and OTPs on achieving regulatory compliance. These guidelines are reviewed and updated regularly. Access the most recent version of the Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment Programs – 2015.

Additional Assistance

For more information about becoming a SAMHSA-approved OTP accrediting body, contact:

Related SAMHSA Resources

Contact Us

For information on buprenorphine treatment, contact the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) at 866-BUP-CSAT (866-287-2728) or infobuprenorphine@samhsa.hhs.gov.

For information about other medication-assisted treatment (MAT) or the certification of opioid treatment programs (OTPs), contact the SAMHSA Division of Pharmacologic Therapies at 240-276-2700 or otp-extranet@opioid.samhsa.gov.

Contact SAMHSA’s regional OTP Compliance Officers to determine if an OTP is qualified to provide treatment for substance use disorders.

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